I told you I wouldn't call, I told you I wouldn't care
But baby climbing the walls gets me nowhere
I don't think that I can take this bed getting any colder
Come over, come over, come over, come over, come over
We don't have to miss each other, come over
We don't have to fix each other, come over
We don't have to say forever, come over
You don't have to stay forever, come over
- Come Over, Kenny Chesney
It was almost noon when Stefani woke up to find that in fact, not everything from last night had been a dream. Bradley's head had moved to her pillow and his lips were inches from her shoulder, bare from her tshirt falling off of it. She got up to pee and quickly got rid of her morning breath before walking back into the bedroom.
In her absence, Bradley had rolled over onto his back, his arm thrown above his head. Stefani tried to slide back between the covers without disturbing him, but his eyes fluttered open and his arm stretched out to his side, welcoming her back. Laying down, she positioned her head closer to his elbow than his shoulder, trying to keep an unintrusive distance, but he circled his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in. "I haven't slept that well in a long, long time," he admitted. "Can we just stay here a little longer?"
She agreed that they could, but soon, Bradley's growling stomach pushed them into the kitchen. Stefani was worried things would be awkward, but aside from a not-so-subtle Natali badgering her, everything felt natural and she was thankful Bradley didn't feel the need to bring up her secret sharing before filming.
After one more day of Coachella filming, they spent a few days in the desert. Bradley had created an atmosphere on set that allowed her to let go and fall into Ally completely. He had promised that he would do the same and from the second they climbed onto the bike, they weren't friends with messy feelings; they were two people head over heels in love, taking off on an adventure together. She loved flying down the highway on the back of Jackson's bike but most of all, she loved that she was finally going to get to kiss him again. The butterflies in her stomach were overwhelming as she stood outside the tire shop and let Freddie and Sarah apply quick touch ups.
Bradley came up behind her and gently touched the back of her arm but when she turned around, she was standing in front of Jackson. "You ready to get outta here?" She nodded and took his hand as they walked towards the bike and he could feel the nerves radiating off of her. "Don't be nervous, Al. Ignore the cameras. No mics. It's just me and you, ok?"
He sat back on his motorcycle for a stylist to touch up his wind blown hair while Stefani slipped the leather jacket back onto her shoulders. "All this work and we're about to put helmets on and mess it all up." She laughed and turned on her tiptoes to reach for hers as the stylist finished with Bradley.
He grabbed her wrist to tug her away from the gas pump her helmet was resting on. "C'mere first and let me look at you." He pulled her to stand between his legs and let his hands go to her hips as he smiled up at her. "Don't think I've ever been so glad to be sober. I wanna fuckin' remember this." He slowly moved over her curves, down the back of her thighs pulling until she was sitting on his lap with her legs hugging his waist. Stefani's arms rested on his biceps to steady herself as his wrapped around her waist. "I wanna remember every fuckin' thing about it."
He closed his eyes and he let himself feel it. The electricity of Jackson and Ally's undeniable chemistry and how their bodies melted together seamlessly once their lips met. The faint taste of Mexican food from the restaurant next door. The smell of her shampoo mixed with his leather jacket and rubber tires. The almost inaudible moan that came from his lips completely unexpectedly when she pulled on the hair at the nape of his neck. And the feeling that something was missing the second she pulled away.
"Hope they got that," she sighed glancing back as she climbed off the bike.
"Wouldn't complain if we had to do it again," he drawled. "You're perfect, Alison Campano."
Before he knew it, he was telling her goodbye and heading back to L.A. while she stayed to play the last weekend of the festival which her parents were coming to see.
"So," Natali said on Friday on their way to pick Joe & Cynthia up from the airport, "you ready to tell our parents you're engaged?"
"Christian was kind of supposed to soften the surprise by asking Dad's permission."
Natali rolled her eyes. "You're the one that said yes."
"Havent you heard 'if you can't say anything positive...'?"
"At least Bradley isn't here."
"How is that positive?"
"Mom would be able to tell there's something between you so at least you can save that conversation for another weekend!" She explained with a grin on her face.
"Still not helpful."
"I was just glad to see you happy."
• • •
"Stefi, I love your new ri- OH MY GOD! Stefani Joanne Angelina! Why is that ring on your left hand?" She exclaimed grabbing her daughter's hand. "Joe! There's a ring on her left hand!" Cynthia called to her husband from across the kitchen.
"What?!" he called out hurrying over from the stove where he was busy simmering sauce. "Loopy, did Christian propose? When?" her father asked more quietly now realizing that he hadn't even been given the courtesy of giving his permission. Not that his daughter needed his permission to do anything but it was just one more thing to add to the growing list of reasons why he disliked her new fiancé.
"He did. After last weekend's performance. Isn't it pretty?" She asked, holding her hand out to her father.
"Beautiful ring for a beautiful girl," he replied. "What a week! Coachella, proposal, beginning filming for your first movie. How's Bradley?"
"Filming was great! I loved being able to sing as Ally, but knowing Little Monsters were in the crowd was so amazing. Bradley was made to be a director. He has an amazing way of seeing things while making me feel completely comfortable diving into our characters," she gushed with a smile on her face.
Joe took notice of how she seemed happier talking about Bradley than Christian, but kept it to himself. After meeting Bradley at Thanksgiving, and then Christian at the Super Bowl, he himself, was more fond of the actor but Stefani seemed happy as far as he could tell. That was all he ever wanted. "So you're happy, darling?"
"Yes, Daddy. I'm happy." She kissed his cheek and gestured to the pan "Now don't burn the gravy." She loved having her parents in town and found herself with mixed feelings a few days later. She was always sad when it was time for them to head back to New York but she couldn't wait to get back to LA to start filming... and to see Bradley.
• • •
It was early in the morning on their first day of shooting in L.A., when the ring of Stefani's phone woke her from a deep sleep, "Natali, I swear to God, I love you but whatever it is, it can wait til morning."
"Stef? It's me. I'm sorry for calling so late... early. I don't even know."
"Bradley?" She questioned, slipping out from under Christian's dead weight and into the hallway. "What time is it?"
"Um... like two in the morning," he replied. "I'm sorry for calling but I didn't know-"
She interrupted him, "Don't apologize. What's going on?"
He explained that Irina had extended her getaway to her mother's house and that Gloria had just called him to say she was too sick to keep Lea in the morning. They had an early morning on set but didn't feel comfortable leaving his one month old with a nanny. He was panicking.
Stefani thought quickly. This was their first day of shooting at Ally's house with the actors playing Ally's dad & his friends. "Bring her to set with you." She continued, though she heard him start to protest, "We're filming in the car for a bit and then it's all in the house. She's a good baby, B. There's plenty of space. I'll help you. You've got this."
She smiled and he was amazed that he could feel her warmth through the phone."Fuck, okay. I guess I'll bring her." As he calculated timelines, his mind began buzzing with all the things he needed to pack and bring . "Bottles... Diapers... have to be at set by 5:30... Stef?"
"I'm on my way," she reassured as she scribbled a note to Christian that she was needed on set early.
Bradley tried to fall back asleep, but the mix of terrified, embarrassed, and angry feelings whirling through his head wouldn't let him. He had never felt more alone in parenting their brand new baby and if he was honest, he wasn't quite sure he was qualified for the job. How was it that Stefani knew he needed her without asking but his own girlfriend could not care less? Irina had said she didn't feel like she knew what she was doing, she wasn't prepared, this wasn't in her plan but this was the week he needed her to pull it together and jump in with him.
His first week of directing and he was bringing his brand new baby to set. What if she cried all day? What if everyone wanted to touch her? What if the actors thought he was unprofessional and didn't want to film? What if he ran out of bottles or forgot something? Just as he was giving up on going back to sleep, a text lit up his phone.
I'm here. Didn't want to ring the doorbell. Come let me in?
He opened the door to see her waving to her driver, a bag of leftovers in her other hand. "I brought food. We had breakfast for dinner."
He grinned and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into the house. "Thank you," he whispered against her ear.
Stefani felt him relax into her arms, "Always," she whispered back. "C'mon, let's go heat this up."
As the sound of the microwave buzzed through the kitchen, he pulled plates down from the cabinet. He caught her watching him as the timer counted down.
"Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I'm broken. Like you feel bad for me," he explained.
"You're not broken. You're a great dad, but I know this isn't how you thought this would go. You didn't see yourself this alone..." she trailed off.
"Yea well, I don't think Irina saw this at all, so it's on me for not discussing it with her more. I think we had different plans for our future but we were so busy with the present and having fun that the future wasn't ever something we talked about. Honestly, we still don't talk about it."
"Was it in your plan? Did you want kids?" She asked as she pushed him a stack of pancakes.
"Yea, I did. With the right - I love that little girl so fucking much so I could never ask to change anything, but you're right. I didn't see myself trying to juggle everything alone."
As he began eating, she slid a piece of paper across the counter to him. "Well, you're not alone now."
_ formula _ pacifiers
_ bottles _ extra clothes (a lot)
_ burp cloths _ swaddle blankets
_ diapers _ baby wrap
_ wipes _ sound machine
_ changing pad _ sleeping thing ???
"You made me a packing list?" he laughed. "How do you know about all that stuff?"
"I tried to remember what Angie said were the important things from when I see her pack a bag for Sistilla. Although I'm not sure if all the clothes are really that important or if Angie just likes to play dress up... I can start grabbing stuff if you want."
"Not yet, just sit with me for a minute."
She returned to her seat next to him at the island. As he studied her, she looked up and their eyes met, her thumb reaching up to swipe syrup from his chin. "Do you think it will ever get better?" She paused waiting for him to continue. "Am I just destined for a life of trying to hold everything together? I want to do the right thing for Lea. She is so little and she deserves people that love her, but I don't want to have to convince someone to want a life with us. I want someone that wants to be here. What if she never does?"
"Then that will be her loss and have absolutely nothing to do with how loved that little girl is. I mean I'm sitting in your kitchen eating pancakes at three in the morning for her," she teased with a nudge. "And for you... Can I ask you something?" He put down his fork and turned to face her. "After we played at Coachella, you mentioned everything felt like a step away from where you thought we were heading. What did you mean?"
"In those first months of meeting you, getting to know you, working together on the screen test... It all felt so natural, effortless but not at all superficial. It was a feeling I'd been chasing for a long time. Every time I left your house, my conscience would tell me to go back for you but I was too scared. After the night in Calabassas, I knew I couldn't be scared anymore. I wanted to come to you the right way, not still attached to someone else but..."
"Lea..."
"And now my conscience tells me to do the right thing for my family and the fear comes from settling and the possibility of missing out on something amazing. You know?"
"B, it's not something you can fix. I understand you feel like you have to try but..."
"Is that why you're marrying Christian? You feel like you have to try?"
"I'm marrying Christian because.... Because..."
Lea's cries interrupted her thoughts.
"Time for her early morning snack," he explained putting his plate in the sink.
"I'll make her a bottle if you want to go get her," Stefani offered. As she mixed the formula, she practiced the answer she would give him. Making her way upstairs, she stopped in the doorway and studied Bradley sitting in the rocker, amid all the pink. His face was mixed with love and worry and he was softly humming 'Always Remember Us This Way'. "It really is her favorite," he said, noticing Stefani watching him.
As she passed him the bottle, every word of her rehearsed answer evaporated from her mind. "I'm scared, too," she quietly admitted. "You're not the only one that thought we were going somewhere... but then Lea and now Christian. I'm with him because I'm no good at being alone, Bradley."
"You're not alone, Stefani."
"That life that you're trying to hold together, I want that."
"With Christian?"
She shrugged and then slowly shook her head, a silent admission that maybe she had made a mistake in agreeing to marry him. "I want the love of my life to be my best friend. I want babies and dogs and a house on this land that's been saved just for me."
His eyes darted up at her honesty. "Stef..."
"I'll never ask you to give up on what you want for Lea... but if it's a road you still want to take, maybe it's not too late for us to head back in the direction we started in."
"You mean that? Even with all the extra baggage I come with now? You would still want this?"
"Did you not hear anything I said last week when you were supposed to be sleeping?"
"Yea," he blushed at the memory. "I did. If I'm being honest, I'm still kind of processing it all "
"If we're being honest, it is scary to unpack everything after keeping it boxed up for so long. It's probably going to be hard and a bit messy. You're not the only one with a suffocating amount of baggage, you know."
He sighed, letting out a large exhale "When it's just us, that's the only time I feel like I can breathe; like I'm not being pulled in fifty different directions."
"You've got a lot on your plate," she agreed.
"Plates," he corrected placing the empty bottle on the table beside the rocker. "And a lot riding on me not dropping any of them."
"Maybe this isn't the best time to add another one?" she suggested. Noticing his face fall a bit, she quickly continued. "I'm not saying we give up but in the middle of an amazingly huge project might not be the best time to turn everything upside down."
He agreed. The mutual decision was made to focus on the movie and on letting Jack & Ally shine while Bradley and Stefani simmered in the background, still hot and bubbling, but not quite ready to boil over just yet. When he questioned how bringing Lea on set today and having their two worlds collide together when they had previously only been immersed in one or the other, was going to work, Stefani shrugged. "Maybe it's a look into what could've been... For Jack and Ally."
"For Jack and Ally," he repeated as he watched her turn to dig through Lea's closet. He smiled as her arms filled with diapers and clothing and blankets before she disappeared back downstairs. He went to put Lea back to bed in his room. He sat on the edge of the bed trying to collect his thoughts and the next thing he knew, she was standing in the doorway.
"I had to snoop through your house a little but everything is by the front door." She tossed a blanket up towards him from the bottom of the bed. "Get some sleep. We've got two hours before we have to be on set."
"Wait." He reached out for her wrist. "In two hours my two worlds have to meld together and I have to pretend like it's all normal. Can I take a few minutes to reset? With you?"
She sat next to him, pulling his head over onto her lap and playing with the ends of his curls. "I'm right here."
He tugged her hand down to his face where she scratched lightly at his beard. He closed his eyes and took big breaths to focus himself. In and out. In and out. In and opening his eyes, he was laying in the lap of the woman who loved him. She noticed his eyes darken and the drawl return to his voice when he spoke. "Hey Al? Can't wait to meet your dad today."
She smiled. "I have a feeling you don't feel that way about everyone."
"Just you."
• • •
There was only a single scene that day requiring both of them and Sarah had willingly agreed to take on baby watch. The rest of the day, Stefani was filming with her on screen dad and his crew of drivers and Bradley was in full director mode, with Lea wrapped to his chest. She was thankful their father-daughter relationship easily mirrored the one she had with her real father. The back and forth banter came easily and she was able to stay immersed in the scene, even with the distraction of Bradley in the background.
The following day, Stefani got to set extra early. Christian was hungover and there was more kissing in the scenes they were shooting today, making it an easy decision on where she wanted to be. "Gloria still sick?" she questioned when Bradley walked into her hair and makeup 30 minutes later with Lea.
"Yes," he snapped. "and I'm running late and we slept like shit.... Sorry. Fuck. I didn't mean to snap at you. Is there a damn cup of coffee around here?" Like magic an assistant appeared with coffee and asked if he wanted help with the baby. He, of course, denied.
Stefani asked Sarah to pause for a minute and grabbed Bradley's hand, dragging him outside. "You already in character, coming in there cussing up a storm?"
"I-"
"That was a rhetorical question. Come
here," she nudged him down onto the stairs of the trailer and stood in front of him, threading her fingers into his hair. "It's okay, B. Everyone understands her being here. Sarah actually looked excited. Take a breath," she let him lean against her torso and felt his hot breath through her tshirt. When he leaned back, she could tell in his eyes he felt settled. "You good? Ready to do this?" Bradley nodded. "You can hang out in here if you want. Let me hold her for you? Sarah's basically done with me."
He stood and passed his sleeping daughter into her arms before following her back inside. "Sorry everybody," he apologized.
After his apology was brushed off by everyone in the trailer, Bradley stared at Stefani cradling his daughter against her chest. He pulled his shirt over his head and stepped into the pop up tent they used for his spray tans. He caught her staring and held her gaze, taking in the way her arms comfortably held Lea, comfortably swaying in the chair to create a soft rocking motion. She smiled softly at him before turning her blissful gaze back to the sleeping baby.
"Baby looks good on you," Sarah observed, reaching towards the baby. The compliment earned a blush and the movement towards Lea earned a death stare from Stefani. Sarah noticed how Bradley smiled at her not wanting to share his daughter. "Do you and Christian want kids?"
"Um... I mean, he has his girls but um... I do. I mean, I don't know how I would handle it... " she mumbled as she remembered whispering about kids to Bradley during her bedtime confession last week. "I think I might just stick to Aunt Stefani for now."
An hour later, they were filming in Ally's bedroom. Stefani's eyes were closed but she heard his footsteps as he walked in the room and knew cameras were rolling. Bradley sat on her bed and brushed her hair out of her face. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up to press her forehead against his. His arm wrapped around her waist and rubbed small circles on her back as her hand found his hair. Needing to look into his eyes, Stefani glanced upwards. As he shifted his head, she whispered "what?", then his lips overtook hers in an open mouth kiss. She moved into the kiss, gently tugging his hair and loving the way his lips felt around hers. He flicked his tongue against her top lip, sending an electric shock from her lips to her core. Although her body wanted to kick out the people, the cameras, and the voices in her head and pull him back into bed with her, she pulled away slowly to speak her line, "I don't feel this way about everyone."
Before Bradley could reply, Lea began whimpering from the bassinet in the hallway. "Well shit," he cursed as he stood up to go to his daughter with Stefani behind him. He picked her up and gently wiggled a pacifier into her mouth, noting that it wasn't quite time for her to eat yet. Wrapping his arm around Stefani, he pulled her into the trio. "Sorry, Al." He kissed her head and sighed. "I guess everybody take 20."
As Bradley reached for the iPad to study the footage they had just shot, she leaned in to whisper, "hey, why you cryin' Lee?" He repositioned the baby against the rough leather of his jacket, and she laughed when Lea scrunched her face in disproval. "Can I take her, Jack?"
He watched as Lea instantly snuggled into the softness of Ally's t-shirt and shot her an appreciative smile. While discussing shots, he couldn't help but look over at them sitting on the bed in the exact spot that he had just been kissing her in. The cinematographer's voice became fuzzy as she got up to place the once again sleeping baby back in her bassinet, and his thoughts took over. Hadn't they just met a few days ago? How did she look so natural with a baby? and How could she literally do it all? But the biggest question of all, was how could he feel this mix of complete contentment, trust, and happiness over and over for as long as possible.
He went up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and whispering in her ear. "Hidin' talents from me Ally? I didn't know you were a damn baby whisperer." She squirmed with a quiet squeal at the way his beard tickled her skin and as he walked her back to the bed, he burrowed in closer playfully nuzzling her neck. She wiggled away back to the bed and he sat down beside her again, taking her hand. "Can't wait to see you as a mama one day. You'll be gre-"
Before he could finish his sentence, her lips were against his and his hands were pulling her closer. Somewhere in the background, he heard a camera being asked for and a voice saying he didn't know they were ready to go again.
But he would always be ready for this.
Sorry it took a little bit longer.... But it is a longer chapter - with a lot of changes!
Straightshooter80 needs editor/co•writer/putting up with me credit. ❤️